In a study published last month, the California Workers’ Compensation Institute found that the top 10% of doctors who prescribe extremely potent, highly addictive Schedule II opioids for injured workers in California account for nearly 80% of all workers’ compensation prescriptions for these...

By Stuart Colburn, Esq.
This is the third part of a three-part series on prescription drug abuse in America. Part One explained “the problem”. Part Two identified the stakeholders involved with this epidemic. Part Three below discusses strategies for addressing prescription drug...

By Stuart Colburn, Esq.
This is the third part of a three-part series on prescription drug abuse in America. Part One explained “the problem”. Part Two identified the stakeholders involved with this epidemic. Part Three below discusses strategies for addressing prescription drug abuse...

Workers’ compensation fraudsters come in all shapes and sizes. Here are 10 news stories from 2011 that caught our eye:
1. Grandpa Used Granddaughter to Sell His Workers' Compensation Drugs (OH) - Donald Fisher has pleaded guilty to one count of deception to obtain a dangerous drug, a fourth...

It may be an unfortunate reality but narcotics are a common aspect of medical treatment within the workers’ compensation system. As pain is an extremely individual experience, it is difficult if not impossible to assess whether the medications prescribed are excessive, inadequate or appropriate...

A new California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) study finds that widespread use of narcotic painkillers to treat work-related injuries – including relatively minor injuries where their use is not supported by medical evidence -- has fueled exponential growth in the use of drug testing...

By John Stahl, Esq.
A May 2012 report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Holdings, Inc. , (NCCI) addressed the conclusions of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) that “the overuse of opioid therapy to treat chronic pain conditions is becoming...

The most disturbing conclusion that the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) presented in a webinar entitled “Use of Narcotics and Compliance with Guidelines” was that many workers’ compensation claimants (claimants) who were prescribed narcotics were not provided recommended...

Proof that “a higher use of opioids [among patients with occupational diseases] may … lead to addiction, increased disability or work loss, and even death” prompted the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute to conduct a study entitled “Longer-Term Use of Opioids.”...

The Missouri court of appeals affirmed a decision to dilute a drug cocktail, but the decision came with a twist with a warning about attorney’s fees.
In Noel v ABB Combustion Engineering , ED 98446 (Mo. App. 11-13-2012) the injured worker obtained a final award for permanent and total disability...